Notes and Essays -- John Brown

AI Overview from above cited The Washington Post article (April 29) Releasing Ukraine funding aligns with key American interests by boosting the domestic defense industry, strengthening global alliances against aggression, and securing long-term economic returns, with over $120 billion in aid directly benefiting U.S. companies across more than 30 states . This strategic investment acts as a "win-win," enabling Ukraine to defend itself while rejuvenating the American industrial base.   The White House (.gov)  +2 Key Aspects of U.S. Funding to Ukraine: Economic Impact:  Aid packages fund American factories and workers, producing weapons to replace U.S. stockpiles, with major production in cities across the U.S..   Council on Foreign Relations  +1 Strategic Investment:  Experts argue that supporting Ukraine secures U.S. interests against major power threats and strengthens the NATO alliance.   CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies  +...

Opinion  Guest Essay  Credit... Patrick Leger An illustration shows two generals bent over a map. Behind them is a shadowy figure, pointing to a spot on the map. Credit...Patrick Leger By Alexander Gabuev  Mr. Gabuev is the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. He wrote from Berlin. [jb: Original article contains links] It was a bitter victory. After occupying a chunk of NATO territory in the Baltics, my team successfully converted the land grab into a diplomatic coup, winning major concessions from the United States that would refashion Europe’s security architecture in Russia’s favor. I was President Vladimir Putin, and I had just secured a big win for my project of Russian aggrandizement. Thankfully, this was not reality. It was a war game organized by the German newspaper Die Welt and the German armed forces, designed to test Berlin’s readiness for a security crisis brought about by Russian aggression and American indifference. I’d been invited to represent ...

The absence of tanks and other heavy military vehicles on Red Square will highlight the heavy toll of the war in Ukraine. Last year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square featured a large force of armored vehicles. Credit... Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   By Ivan Nechepurenko The New York Times , April 29, 2026  Updated 1:32 p.m. ET  In a departure from decades of tradition, Russia will hold its annual Victory Day parade without heavy military equipment rolling across Red Square, the government said on Wednesday, acknowledging that long-range Ukrainian strikes were forcing the Kremlin to downsize its showcase of power and pride.   For years, President Vladimir V. Putin used the May 9 event, a grand celebration of the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany, to demonstrate Russia’s military might. Tanks, howitzers and nuclear missile launchers have traditionally paraded on Red Square before Mr. Putin and guests including President George W. Bu...